A Model Discipline

Abstract

Models have come to be the dominant feature of modern political science and can be found in every corner of the field. Despite this ubiquity, most political scientists know very little about models, their properties, or how to think about models in a rigorous fashion, all despite the fact that political scientists are highly skilled at model construction. This chapter introduces the model-based view of science that is advocated in this book. It is contrasted with the dominant way of thinking in the field: theory testing. The chapter also introduces the five main themes of the book: science is not what we think it is; current practice is not “philosophy-free”; models are objects; models are not tested with data; and theoretical models are necessary components of explanations.